Simple DIY paddle leash

A paddle leash is meant to keep the paddle attached to the kayak. This particular paddle leash is meant to be cheap and simple.

Materials:

• a few feet of 1/4" or 1/8" shock cord from REI, West Marine, or from a hardware store
• a plastic shock cord hook (optional)

The knot links all go to the Animated Knots By Grog website.

To make the paddle leash: tie a figure-eight loop near one end of the cord, like the one on the left side of the first photo. Tie a stopper knot into the loose end of the cord, as seen on the right side of the photo. (If you use 1/8" cord then a monkey's fist might work better than a stopper knot, if it's tied compactly. A monkey's fist in 1/4" cord would probably be too bulky to be practical.)


The loop should be a bit smaller than the stopper knot, but large enough that the stopper knot can be pushed thru it. There should be enough cord between the two knots to go around the shaft of the paddle.


The second photo shows, more of less, how it works. The end of the cord goes around the paddle shaft and the stopper knot is pushed thru the loop. This should keep the leash on the paddle, and should be easy to release in an emergency, although I haven't really tested this yet.


The other end can have the same arrangement, or a plastic shock-cord hook, or just a large knot that goes under a deck bungee. If you want to keep it really simple, just tie it to the deck with a bowline.

The super-cheapskate way to do this would be to use a loop of shock cord (or some rubber bands) held by a knot in the thin rope that would be used for the rest of the leash.

The loose end of the shock cord has heat-shrink tubing and a bit of Aquaseal over it. The other end has a plastic snap from Narain's in Berkeley. The plastic snaps can be hard to find (search on "shock cord hooks"), and you may want to just get a stainless steel snap off the shelf at a good hardware store. (The super-cheapskate might want to settle for a metal snap from a dollar-store dog leash, or another loop-and-knot combo.)

Update: the leash can be hard to attach to and remove from the paddle for someone who isn't familiar with it.  It can also be tricky to remove even after it's familiar, so in an emergency it would be easier to remove the bungee hook rather than undo the loop-and-knot -- if there's a choice in the matter.